They rode elephants through the jungle and annoyed their guide by baiting sharks on an underwater spearfishing expedition. They visited Hong Kong, Thailand and the islands of Macau and Ko Samui. Along the way, Braden fed a baby tiger shortly after watching it bite a woman, putting puncture wounds in her arm.

Braden, a Stockton resident who pitched a perfect game for the A's in May, and Wilson, who won a World Series with the Giants in November, enjoyed the adventure, isolation and relative anonymity their surroundings offered.

"It was pretty cool," Braden said. "We were recognized, but for the most part those people couldn't care less what's happening in America. It's nice to fly under the radar and be a maniac and nobody cares - nobody's going to tweet about it."

Braden, The Record's 2010 sports person of the year, had the nation and his hometown all atwitter over his Mother's Day gem after pitching the 19th perfect game in major league history in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. He dedicated the game to his mother, Jodie Atwood, who died of skin cancer when he was a senior at Stagg High, and grandmother, Peggy Lindsey, who helped raise him.

Braden reflected on his year in a wide-ranging interview, touching on his travels, his pending free agency, the negligence suit he filed against the A's former medical provider and the notoriety he has received since pitching the perfect game.

Braden famously feuded with New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez in the weeks leading up to the perfect game and has long been a local favorite, but his performance at the Oakland Coliseum that day launched him to a new level of stardom. The 27-year-old left-hander graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, appeared on national television shows such as the "CBS Early Show" and "Late Show With David Letterman," was profiled on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," and was inducted into the Stockton Athletic Hall of Fame.

Braden is recognized wherever he goes in Stockton and often attracts large crowds. He has stopped for hours at a time to sign autographs and pose for pictures, just as he did recently at the Bed, Bath and Beyond on Trinity Parkway.

"He was very good to everybody," said 19-year-old Celso Arevalos, an employee at Bed, Bath and Beyond. "I got an autograph. My brother came in and got an autograph. He signed everything. It was pretty exciting because he's my favorite player."

Lindsey said she can hardly believe all the attention Braden has received.

"It's still kind of surreal to me," Lindsey said. "I see him on TV and think, 'Oh, my God, that's my grandson.' I'm just so proud of him. He's worked hard, and it just amazes me that all this has happened."

It was a wonderful year in so many ways, but 2010 was not a perfect season for Braden. He went 0-5 in nine starts after throwing the perfect game before being placed on the disabled list with elbow tightness. He returned to pitch well over the final two-plus months of the season but continued to experience discomfort in his left foot, which he fears could cause more elbow and shoulder problems.

In October, Braden filed a lawsuit against Dr. Thomas Peatman and Webster Orthopedic Group. Braden claims Peatman severed a nerve while removing a cyst from his foot in August 2009. Braden missed the rest of the 2009 season and said he has pitched with numbness in two toes ever since.

Braden is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit. The suit alleges that he feels "extreme pain" and "fatigue in the later innings" while pitching as a result of Peatman's negligence. The suit also asserts that "the damage, instability and sensitivity of his left foot will cause biomechanical problems in his pitching delivery system, which will likely result in further injury and shortening of his career."

"You know how sometimes you wake up and it feels like your foot has been asleep for three hours?" Braden said. "Well, that's what I feel every day, all day long.

"Being an athlete who works on his feet, that could definitely cause problems. That could definitely shorten a career, and there's been a lot of worry about whether that's going to alter my mechanics, which could alter my arm slot, which could lead to injury."

A lawyer and spokesperson for Webster Orthopedic said they could not comment on the suit, which is pending.

Also pending is Braden's contract status. The A's and Braden's representatives are negotiating an agreement that would keep him in Oakland in 2011. Braden said he expects to return for a fifth season with the A's and had hoped a deal would be in place by Christmas.

In the meantime, Braden is home for the holidays. He spent Christmas with his grandmother and friends in Stockton and took in the Pacific-UConn women's basketball game Tuesday at Spanos Center.

Braden said his annual Thanksgiving food drive was the best yet. Lindsey accompanied Braden when he visited local restaurants to solicit food donations for the St. Mary's Interfaith dining hall in Stockton. She said it was a "heartwarming" experience.

"Dallas is trying to do something, and people in this town are trying to help him," she said.

Edward Figueroa, chief executive officer of St. Mary's Interfaith Community Services, said the dining hall served 720 meals the day of Braden's food drive, approximately 200 more than the previous year.

"The highlight of the day is watching the children's faces," Figueroa said. "They see a Major League Baseball superstar serving them, and it really reminds them how important they are. They think, 'Hey, I'm somebody if someone like Dallas cares.' "

Braden said he enjoyed collecting, preparing and serving food to the homeless, offering up his usual but unique blend of humor, charisma and kindness.

"I'm never going to be the guy who just writes the check and mails it in," Braden said. "You don't see the face of the guy who writes the check. Not only are you going to see my face, but you might taste one of the hairs that fall off my face and into your food."

Braden went to the top of the world and circled the globe on his way back, but his best efforts always bring him home.

"There's a reason I haven't started a big charity foundation or anything like that," Braden said. "It's the little things I want to do. I want to help the people around me, the people I can directly affect, and those are the people in the city I live in."